


Defection

by hitokiri



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Attitude Era, Canon-Typical Violence, Episode Related, Human Sacrifice, Hurt Christian, M/M, Protective Edge, The Undertaker was extremely problematic back then, Whipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 03:50:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14323941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hitokiri/pseuds/hitokiri
Summary: The Undertaker punishes Christian for giving away Stephanie's whereabouts, for losing a match, for losing another match, and Edge is determined to do what he can to save his boy from being sacrificed to the Ministry of Darkness.





	Defection

**Author's Note:**

> *spoilers for the fic itself and the episodes it's based off*
> 
> Listen, this fic is based off episodes 305-307 of RAW. 305 is when Christian is forced into submission and gives Ken Shamrock Stephanie McMahon's whereabouts. 306 is when The Undertaker forces Edge and Gangrel to hold Christian while he whips him. 307 is the match where The Undertaker tells Edge and Gangrel that they have to let Christian face The Big Show alone and then later on that's when The Undertaker tries to force Edge and Gangrel to tie Christian up so he can be sacrificed. Edge and Gangrel turn on him then and save Christian's life, which makes The Brood finally separate from the Ministry of Darkness.
> 
> Yes, I deviated from dialog and how certain scenes went down because I have a serious thing for hurt Christian, and Edge worrying about Christian. My soul ascends from my body any time Edge looks at least a little worried about Christian's well being. So I added things, made Christian get a little more hurt than he did in the actual episodes, and saved my soul in the process. Don't hurt me.
> 
> (Has anyone else noticed how extremely submissive of a person Christian is? How he seems to like spending his time on his knees and stomach in the ring when ~*Ministry Stuff*~ is going on? What a boy.)
> 
> I do not own World Wrestling Entertainment. No copyright infringement intended. If I did own it, Christian would be in the WWE Hall of Fame.

"The Undertaker wants to see us."

Edge looks up from where he'd been staring down at Christian's bruised face. He knows that Christian is going to be punished for giving Shamrock Stephanie McMahan's location, but Edge was hoping that it would be later rather than sooner. Christian endured a lot from Shamrock; his ribs were bruised, his knee swollen from when he'd locked Christian's leg and forced him to submit. He just wanted his boy to rest before the Ministry took over.

Sighing, Edge says, "Alright. Thanks, Gangrel," and helps Christian to sit up. His partner hisses when his bruised ribs hurt again, and Edge gently pushes the blond hair from Christian's face. "It's going to be okay. I don't blame you for what happened. Whatever The Undertaker does, you'll get through it."

What Edge is actually expecting when he gets there isn't what's there at all. He'd assumed that Christian would have to fight in a match against Gangrel, Edge himself, or even The Undertaker. Either of those options would have certainly been the more favorable.

"What the hell is this?" Edge asks, taking in the Ministry standing there, The Undertaker with his face hidden in the shadows of his hood. Paul Bearer stands next to The Undertaker with a wooden box that he opens while wearing one of his disgusting smug faces, eyes trained on Christian. Inside the box is a leather whip that Bearer hands to The Undertaker with smug glee. Edge can feel Christian tense up next to him, but grabs his arm to let him know he's there. "What are you going to do with that?"

"Tie him up," The Undertaker says, voice raspy and angry. Before Edge can react, Mideon and Faarooq are grabbing Christian from beside him and lifting him up. Christian's legs are kicking; he's trying to squirm his small body away from the two holding him up, but Viscera grabs one of his hands and ties it above his head before moving onto the next.

Edge is stepping forward, ready to stop this, when Gangrel puts an arm in front of his chest and tells him to stop.

"That's right, Edge," Paul Bearer snarks, giddy glee in his voice. "If you try to stop this, you'll be next!"

That shuts Edge right up, but he doesn't have to like it.

Christian is shaking in his bonds and Edge wants nothing more than to be there for him, take him down from there and hold him. He's granted permission to touch his boy, but not in the way he wants to. The Undertaker says, voice a low, fearsome rumble, "Gangrel, Edge, hold him. Keep him still. He gets twenty lashes, or more depending on whether or not I see he realizes his mistake."

"I do!" Christian yells, his voice muffled from his back being turned from them and his arms above his head restricting all the air flow he needs. "I do realize! Please!"

"Thirty lashes for his insolence. Keep him still."

Edge and Gangrel obediently but unhappily hold Christian's legs still so he can't swing from the hits, and they both cringe each time Christian cries out. Edge just thanks god that Christian isn't shirtless. Edge can hear Christian's voice breaking every time the whip makes contact and he knows his boy is crying. Christian has never had a high tolerence for pain.

Once the thirtieth strike hits, Edge and Gangrel start to stand. The Undertaker pauses, growls, "Hold him!" before resuming his hits.

"That's more than thirty!" Edge yells. Christian's whimpers break out into cries of agony as The Undertaker takes out his anger on Christian's back. He whips him until blood can be seen seeping into Christian's white shirt. But it's only when Christian's cries completely cease and all movement stops that he stops, hands Paul Bearer the whip, and steps back.

"Let him down and put him in the room, Viscera. Edge and Gangrel have a match to get to. Dismissed."

"He can't wake up alone," Edge argues, voice frantic. "He's _unconscious_ , please don't make me leave him alone. He needs to be taken care of!"

"Go to your match, Edge. Do not test me."

Gangrel drags Edge away, says that they'll make sure Christian is okay after the match.

* * *

When Christian stumbles down the ramp, blood down the back of his shirt and sweat on his face, Edge is distracted long enough to get thrown out of the ring. Christian can barely stand; he doesn't react when he's grabbed and thrown into the ring and pinned one-two-three in seconds. His boy is barely conscious, he wasn't even in the match, and he still lost the match for them. He doesn't know how to save him now.

_No weakness_ , The Undertaker tells them all the time. _Don't show any weakness_. He can't let anyone see that he's worried. They're part of The Brood, the Ministry of Darkness. Edge can't give Christian any special treatment; The Undertaker would kill them.

When he and Gangrel pull Christian from the ring, Edge grabs him by the hair, hears Christian's whimper of pain and lets up his grip only a little, and together he and Gangrel get him up the ramp and in the back.

The Undertaker is there, waiting for them.

Christian can't stand on his own. He's panting, bloody, _hurting_ , but The Undertaker doesn't care about that. He grabs Christian by the chin and forces him to look up at him, into his dark eyes that promise eternal pain. "I'm disappointed in you, Christian. You've always been the weakest link. You can't take care of yourself, you give out sensitive information under the slightest amount of pressure, from the smallest amount of pain.

"I am going to show you what real pain is like, Christian. I am going to bruise your body until all you remember is my name, until you can withstand the utmost torture and handle the worst pain you've ever felt in your life. You will hurt. You will bleed. And you will learn discipline by my hand."

Christian is shaking, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes and Edge wants nothing more than to get his boy out of there, protect him, coddle him, keep him safe. He can't do either of those things. There's no way out of the Ministry but to die. Edge doesn't know what to do.

"You'll know when the time is right," The Undertaker says, and in a cloud of smoke, he and the rest of the Ministry are gone, leaving The Brood standing alone. Edge uses the opportunity to pull Christian into his arms and help him into the closest room.

"Let me have a look at your back, baby," Edge whispers peeling the back of the shirt away from Christian's back. Christian hisses when the dried blood sticks the shirt to the wounds and Edge coos in his ear, telling him it will be okay. "Gangrel, get me the first aid kit from down the hall," he urges, as he gets his boy to lift his arms up enough so he can get the shirt over his head. "Oh my god, Christian."

"How- how bad is it, Edge?"

"I'm going to take care of you, don't worry, baby. I've got you."

Gangrel returns with the first aid kit and Edge gets to work cleaning the bloody wounds. They're not deep, but they're wide, the gashes gnarly against Christian's otherwise perfect skin. Christian hisses when the peroxide touches the open wounds and Edge kisses his shoulder, whispers that he's doing fine, that he will _be_ fine. Christian nods because he trusts him, because they're best friends, because Edge would never steer him wrong.

He applies antibiotic ointment to the wounds and covers them with gauze. He tapes it across his whole back; he was whipped to ribbons and Edge wants to hurt The Undertaker more than anything. He doesn't know what he's going to do to protect Christian when the time comes; he wasn't able to do anything last time. He doesn't think he'll be able to this time.

He doesn't notice when Gangrel slips from the room and shuts the door. He pulls Christian into his arms and they fall asleep together on the couch, Christian's hurt back against Edge's strong chest.

* * *

It's a week later when Christian goes missing. Edge loses his mind trying to find him, screaming at Paul Bearer, threatening to spear him, to beat the hell out of him, anything to get Christian back.

Bearer is smug when he says, "You'll see him when _He_ wants you to see him." _He_ meaning The Undertaker. The Undertaker took Christian when Edge let his guard down. Edge looks _everywhere_.

Two days later, Edge is supposed to have another match. The entirety of The Brood is supposed to be present during matches, even when it's not a tag team match, but Christian is still nowhere to be found and Edge doesn't know what to do. He's supposed to take on Mideon in hopes of getting Christian's whereabouts out of him.

When Edge and Gangrel come out, Mideon is already in the ring but he's not alone. Viscera is there, with an unconscious and bloody Christian on his shoulder. His boy's hair dangles in front of his lifeless face, body still and broken and Edge doesn't know what they did to him the two days he was missing, but Edge is ready to take his very first sacrifice.

Before Gangrel can stop him, Edge is running down the ramp and sliding right into the ring. He's standing in seconds, ready to go for Viscera and take Christian. Mideon steps in front of him, crosses his arms, says, "If you want him, you have to beat me, Edge. He's your prize."

"Then you better be ready for when The Undertaker punishes you, Mideon, because you're going to look pathetic by the end of this match. You'll be an embarrassment to the Ministry."

The bell rings and the match commences.

Gangrel tries everything he can to get Christian from Viscera as insurance, just in case Edge can't pull off a win with his emotions gone haywire, but it turns out that he doesn't have to worry. Edge forces Mideon into submission with an Edgecator, forcing Mideon to tap out almost instantly. He doesn't stick around to see Mideon's face, just jumps from the ring, runs for Viscera, and takes Christian from him. He ignores Gangrel's offer to help him and instead carries Christian by himself back up the ramp and to safety.

* * *

They don't hear from the Ministry for a few days. They're all relieved, but most of all Christian. They think they're finally safe, when Paul Bearer of Bad News approaches them with an envelope. It says to meet The Undertaker the next night.

Still terrified for Christian's safety, the three of them go. The Undertaker announces the match between The Big Show and Christian that night. Edge, pissed off, says, "Hasn't he been through enough? You held him captive for two days. Leave him alone."

"Either he faces The Big Show, or he dies, Edge. Those are his options," The Undertaker says, before he's gone in a cloud of smoke.

They get Christian as ready as he'll ever be, and together The Brood walk out to the ring. Gangrel and Edge will be there to support him when he needs them, and they will keep him standing as long as possible.

"Gangrel and Edge," The Undertaker's voice announces from everywhere. He's all around them but nowhere at all. Christian stands in the ring, waiting, eyes trained on The Big Show. "Leave Christian. He is to prove himself tonight."

Edge whips his head around to look at Christian, whose face visibly paled in moments. He closes his eyes and finally looks at Edge, whispers, "Go. You don't need to be punished like me."

Reluctantly, Edge and Gangrel leave, and Christian is taken out in minutes. Edge is told to stay away, that Christian needs to be punished for adding another loss to his belt. Edge has never felt more restless in his entire life.

"I can't do this," he says, pacing in front of Gangrel. "I don't know what they're going to do to him. I can't lose him." But when they're summoned by The Undertaker and sent after Ken Shamrock, Christian is there like nothing at all happened, like he hadn't been tortured for a week, like he hadn't just lost to The Big Show and had his life threatened. Edge almost hugged him when he saw him looking healthier than he has in weeks. But that's weakness, and weakness isn't allowed.

The Undertaker tells them to get ready to sacrifice Ken Shamrock in Ryan Shamrock's place. Edge doesn't think anything of the fact that Viscera and Mideon are _each_ carrying one of The Undertaker's symbols, and that they only have one sacrifice. He doesn't put it together until after Shamrock is tied down and The Undertaker grabs Christian by the throat and lifts him nine feet in the air, holding him suspended in his strong hands. Christian's legs are kicking, trying to hit The Undertaker in the stomach, the chest, anything to get the man to let him go. Edge looks on in fear, and that's when he sees the unoccupied symbol on the other side of the ramp, waiting for a sacrifice.

"No," Edge says, fear in his voice, on his face. He takes a step forward and grabs onto The Undertaker's arm, forcing him to throw Christian to the ground.

"Tie him up," The Undertaker says, eyes trained on the other two of The Brood. He stops Viscera when he goes for Christian, says, "No, _them_. I want them to do it. Tie him up."

Edge sees Gangrel out of the corner of his eye make a move towards Christian and shoves at his shoulder to keep him away from the blond writhing on the floor. "Stay away from him," he growls, and rushes The Undertaker from behind. That's when The Undertaker commands Viscera and Mideon to tie Christian up. Edge is distracted by The Undertaker and the Acolytes when Viscera and Mideon get to his boy, drag him onto the symbol, and tie his hands. Christian is squirming, trying to get away before he's completely tied, but Viscera has several hundred pounds on him, could hold him down with one hand if he needed to, and Christian is still weakened.

It takes Edge and Gangrel to take them down, untie Christian, and get him out of there.

* * *

When Edge is finally alone with Christian, he kisses him for the first time. Christian is taken offguard, but he kisses back a moment later. "Edge," he whispers, and Edge wraps his arms around him and pushes him down onto the couch.

"It's okay, Christian," Edge says, peppering kisses on his best friend's face, "I've got you."

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave me a review! I know it wasn't as shippy as anyone may have wanted. I just wanted to focus on my hurt boy. Protect him, Edge.


End file.
